Oxner Plays Hero as HFX Holds Cavalry to 0-0 Draw

HFX Wanderers FC held league-leading Cavalry FC to a 0-0 draw at Wanderers Grounds on Saturday, keeping the Cavs off the scoresheet for the first time in league play since June 22 and picking up a point by way of a saved penalty by Christian Oxner.

A hard-fought first half saw the two teams trade half-chances, but the stalemate was nearly broken on the hour mark, as HFX goalkeeper Oxner brought Oliver Minatel down in the box with an ill-timed tackle, drawing a penalty for the Cavs. However, Dominique Malonga's left-bound shot was saved by Oxner, who correctly dove to stop it, preserving a clean sheet for his team.

HFX then turned the tables, with Tomasz Skublak flicking the ball backward for Mohamed Kourouma in the box, but, despite the flashiness of the play, the subsequent shot couldn't make it through the throng of Cavalry defenders and was deflected harmlessly away.

A late push by HFX - led by substitutes Juan Diego Gutierrez and Kodai Iida - nearly yielded a go-ahead goal, with Andre Rampersad and Kourouma further testing Marco Carducci's goal, but neither could find the breakthrough and settled for a 0-0 draw, instead.

Cavalry now switches tracks to Canadian Championship action, hosting the Montreal Impact in Leg 2 of the Semi-Finals (Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. MT/9:30 p.m. ET, available on OneSoccer) having dropped the first leg 2-1 at Stade Saputo. Meanwhile, HFX's next match was slated for Aug. 21 vs. Forge, but the match has been postponed due to Forge's advancement in CONCACAF League - further information and updates will be provided in the coming days.

Box Score

Goals

Discipline

27? Yellow - Elliot Simmons (HFX Wanderers)

38? Yellow - Jonathan Wheeldon (Cavalry FC)

47? Yellow - Mason Trafford (Cavalry FC)

60? Yellow - Christian Oxner (HFX Wanderers)

Three Key Performers

Christian Oxner (HFX Wanderers)

For obvious reasons, the goalkeeper who made the game-changing penalty save earns a spot on our three key performers, but beyond his heroics on the hour mark, Oxner looked confident and comfortable throughout the 90 minutes, too.

Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC)

Dominated in midfield, as per usual, posting up 89.9% passing accuracy and leading his team in passes in the opposition third, making his usually-defensive minded approach in the middle a little more progressive than usual. We noticed!

Zela Langwa (HFX Wanderers)

Lead his team in touches, won 75% of his duels, and looked an ever-present threat on the left wing, bombarding down the flanks when he could and going toe-to-toe with Oliver Minatel and Malyk Hamilton throughout the match.